Dulverton
Dulverton | |
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Avon and Somerset | |
Fire | Devon and Somerset |
Ambulance | South Western |
UK Parliament | |
Dulverton is a town and civil parish in west Somerset, England, near the border with Devon. The town had a population of 1,408 at the 2011 Census.[2] The parish includes the hamlets of Battleton and Ashwick which is located approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) north west of Dulverton.
To the west of the hamlet lies
Dulverton is a popular
History
The name Dulverton was first recorded in 1084 as dieglaford-tun meaning "hidden ford"-tun.[4] The Domesday Book records it as Dolvertune and suggests it was a royal manor before the Norman Conquest.[5]
The town lies below the Iron Age hillforts of Oldberry Castle,[5] Mounsey Castle[4] and Brewer's Castle.[6]
The manor was granted to the Turbervilles by
The Middle Ages saw continued growth and the establishment of fairs and markets, with several small industries based upon the traditions of upland
The manor of Dulverton was purchased in 1568 by the Sydenham family seated at
Exmoor House was built as the Dulverton Union Workhouse in 1855. It is now the headquarters of the Exmoor National Park Authority.[11][12]
Dr Charles Palk Collyns (1793 - 1864) set up as a surgeon and apothecary in Dulverton in 1814. Dr Collyns moved into Bilboa House in 1820, where he authored The Chase of the Wild Red Deer; his grave stone is located at All Saints' Church in Dulverton.
Private housing stock generally ranges from medium-size to substantial Georgian to late Victorian family houses, with a small estate of post-war modern houses and bungalows towards the north of town.
Governance
The
The town falls within the
As Dulverton falls within the
Dulverton is the most populous area of the
It is also part of the
Geography
The town lies in the deep, wooded
The other major river in the parish is the River Exe, which is on the parish boundary with Brompton Regis, which is crossed by the medieval Chilly Bridge[23] and Hele Bridge,[24] and the 18th century Weir Bridge.[25]
In between the town centre and the river is a large recreation meadow which recently underwent renovation by locals (including the pupils of Dulverton Middle School) supported by a Barclays Bank New Futures Scheme.
South of the town is Briggins Moor a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest which provides an example of unimproved mire of a type which is restricted to south-west England and Wales and which has been significantly reduced in extent in the recent past. Purple moor-grass (Molinia caerulea) and meadow thistle (Cirsium dissectum) are abundant. There is a large colony of the marsh fritillary butterfly (Eurodryas aurinia).[26]
Transport
Two miles from Dulverton is the village of
Religious sites
The parish Church of All Saints in Bank Square has a tower from the 15th century, which was extensively restored between 1853 and 1855 when the rest of church was rebuilt by Edward Ashworth. It has been designated as Grade II* listed building.[27]
The Congregational Church in Chapel Street was built in the 19th century with adjoining schoolrooms.[28]
Cultural references
Two ships of the
Notable Dulvertonians
- Aubrey Herbert, diplomat, traveller and intelligence officer, was given Pixton Park by his mother
- Auberon Herbert (landowner) opened up Pixton Park to Eastern Europeans after the Second World War
- John Nelder, statistician
- Henry Charles Frank Morant (1885–1952), writer and photographer
- Auberon Waugh, writer and journalist, born in 1939 at Pixton Park, Dulverton
- George Williams, founder of the YMCA, born in Dulverton in 1821
- The Lord Dulverton
References
- ^ "Dulverton". Dulverton Town Council 2022.
- ^ "Statistics for Wards, LSOAs and Parishes — Summary Profiles" (Excel). Somerset Intelligence. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
- ^ Jacobs, Brian, Ashwick House near Dulverton, Exmoor Encyclopedia
- ^ ISBN 1-874336-26-1.
- ^ a b c d Gathercole, Clare. "A brief history of Dulverton" (PDF). Somerset Urban Archaeological Survey. Somerset County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2010.
- ^ "Archaeological Aerial Survey in the Northern Mendip Hills: A Highlight Report for the National Mapping Programme". Pastscape. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
- ^ "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
- ^ Historic England. "Dulverton Laundry (1247917)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 December 2008.
- ^ Historic England. "Market Hall (1247925)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 December 2008.
- ^ Burke, John & Burke, John Bernard, A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies of England, Ireland and Scotland, 2nd edition, London, 1841, pp. 514–5 [1]
- ISBN 0-86183-476-3.
- ^ Historic England. "Exmoor House (1263901)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 December 2008.
- ^ "Dulverton RD". A vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
- ^ "The Authority". Exmoor National Park. Archived from the original on 24 December 2007. Retrieved 29 November 2007.
- ^ "Exmoor National Park NMP". English Heritage. Retrieved 29 November 2007.
- ^ "Dulverton and District ward 2011". Retrieved 2 March 2015.
- ISBN 0-906456-98-3.
- ^ Historic England. "Tarr Steps (1247822)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 May 2007.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7277-1971-3.
- ^ Historic England. "Barle Bridge at NGR SS 9120 2782 (1247899)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 December 2008.
- ^ Historic England. "Marsh Bridge at NGR SS 9069 2895 (1247820)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 December 2008.
- ^ Historic England. "New Bridge (1247821)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 30 November 2008.
- ^ Historic England. "Chilly Bridge (1237536)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 November 2008.
- ^ Historic England. "Hele Bridge (1263928)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 November 2008.
- ^ Historic England. "Weir Bridge (1247823)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 November 2008.
- ^ English Nature citation sheet for the site Archived 10 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 9 August 2006.
- ^ Historic England. "Church of All Saints (1247824)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 December 2008.
- ^ Historic England. "Congregational Church and hall, dwarf wall, railings and gate (1263903)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 December 2008.
External links
- Dulverton Town Council
- Dulverton at Curlie